Elaine is a California-based writer, performer, storyteller, educator, speaker, comic, and journalist who co-founded the nonfiction literary series TrueStory and loves artists, writers, community, humor, play, possibility, healing, spirituality, exploring, and learning. She is a tenured professor at CSU Sacramento, was a former Los Angeles Times reporter, has a doctorate in communication from University of Denver, earned her MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles, and has been published in literary journals and in national magazines and newspapers.

“Dr. Elaine Gale has graciously agreed to step in as Interim Chair while Dr. Dawn Murray is on leave in Bhutan. Elaine has been on the adjunct faculty at AUSB and has had an extensive career working at Antioch University as the freelance Director of the Writing Center for the PhD Program in Leadership and Change Program,” said Dr. Barbara Lipinski, the Academic Dean at AUSB. “Her mission is to help people develop their speaking and writing voices. Her passion in social justice, community building, empowering others, and creative self-expression are complementary to our academic community and directly aligned with our mission.”

Elaine will debut the solo show she wrote and performs called One Good Egg, which is directed by Rod Lathim at the Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara the weekend of May 5 – 7, 2017. Tickets will go on sale at the end of September through the Center Stage Box Office and through the link at www.onegoodeggshow.com

Antioch University Santa Barbara’s Bachelor of Arts degree completion program offers unique, innovative concentrations that develop students into well-rounded, well-informed global citizens with the skills to lead meaningful lives – advancing social, economic, and environmental justice. Learn more at antiochsb.edu/BA

For its third year of operation, AUSB will receive $345,110 in Federal funds that it will match with an additional $101,980 to support the project.

In addition to one-on-one academic support, the grant, under the leadership of Project Director Catherine Radecki, is focused on creating a pathway to post-graduation career success. Through the College-to-Career program funded by the grant, students learn pre-employment skills such as résumé writing, networking, and employment interview skills.

Bachelor of Arts students at AUSB who participate in the program gain substantive résumé-building work experience in their field of study and are assisted in development of a long-term career plan. Local staff hired using the grant funds are working with community nonprofits and businesses to develop meaningful job and internship opportunities for which students also earn academic credit.

Lee Yarborough, AUSB’s Career Counselor, has been successful in placing almost 30 participating students into internships and jobs in the Santa Barbara area. The project is finding that students who receive career counseling and employment experience show a significant increase in their career self-efficacy.

With the help of staff through AUSB’s College-to-Career program, BA student Jillian Fowler landed an internship at 92.9 KJEE modern rock radio in Santa Barbara.

“Being able to guide and encourage students to follow and pursue their professional dreams is inspiring on many different levels,” Lee said about her role at AUSB. “These students are our future leaders and will pave the way for innovation, creativity, social justice and improvements in the community. Through internships, part-time employment, job shadowing, and exploring career options, our students are gaining real world experience and confidence before they graduate.”

Tony Urban, hired as AUSB’s grant-funded Academic Success Advisor, has taken a proactive approach to ensuring that students stay enrolled at AUSB through the completion of their degrees. Whether students would benefit from a one-time meeting to refresh study or presentation skills, multiple meetings to master time or stress management skills, or even weekly check-ins to help keep them on track, Tony is available to help meet their needs. He also assists with financial aid, scholarship searches, graduate school applications, essays, and résumé writing.

“The college environment presents unique opportunities for students to put their knowledge to the test and develop their skill set,” Tony said about his work with students. “It is my desire to make sure they are well-equipped to tackle these challenges head-on with all the tools they need to succeed in the classroom as well as in life.”

The Title III Grant also enabled AUSB to hire Allison Adelman, Director of the Writing Center on campus, and Abby Pasley, English Language Learner Tutor, to help students in these areas of development.

All domestic students in the AUSB Bachelor of Arts program are eligible to participate in the College-to-Career program.

Dawn is taking a leave from AUSB at the end of July, when she will move to Bhutan and join RTC’s Environmental Studies Department teaching courses on ecology, biodiversity, management, and conservation. Her two sons, aged 13 and 11, will leave their Santa Barbara schools and immerse themselves in a new culture and school in Bhutan. Dawn will return to the BA program at AUSB in August 2017.

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked Asian country located between India and China in the midst of the Himalayan Mountains. The country has a self-imposed mandate to keep at least 60% of its land forested and is also known for its Gross National Happiness index, which revealed that 91% of its residents considered themselves happy. Earlier this year, Bhutan became the world’s first carbon-negative country, absorbing more carbon in its heavily forested lands than it produces.

This won’t be Dawn’s first visit to Bhutan. She visited in December 2015 while leading an eco-cultural trip with The Tribal Trust Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving indigenous cultures at which Dawn serves on the board as Vice President. During her year in Bhutan, she plans to help preserve the culture and ways of the indigenous Monpas people living in the remote mountains.

“I am excited to return and offer my expertise for a year contributing to their environmental studies curriculum, working with future leaders of ecological stewardship,” Dawn said. “My passion for ecological literacy, cultural conservation, and climate change education and awareness is my asset and my communication expertise enhances coalition building.”

While in Bhutan, Dawn said she will research opportunities and benefits that develop from sustainable management of natural resources and innovative eco-friendly practices and also impart AUSB’s emphasis on learner-centered education and to advance social, economic, and environmental justice.

“My intention is to educate, inspire, and motivate people to become actively involved in eco-cultural preservation issues,” Dawn said. “I will be witnessing and participating in a way of life that has been sustained for thousands of years, living as part of the natural order, not above or separate from it. My learning will help me more effectively teach students at Antioch when I return and encourage ecological activism, focusing on environmental issues, indigenous people, their art and culture, and organic farming methods.”

Students study near the Pacific Ocean in an Ecopsychology Class at Antioch University Santa Barbara.

As part of their final project, students from the Ecopsychology class in the Bachelor of Arts program at Antioch University Santa Barbara shared their newly acquired knowledge about Ecopsychology concepts, as well as stand as ambassadors for the Earth by developing a compelling ecological video.

Using the core values that AUSB utilizes – such as critical thinking, diverse perspective, social justice, applied learning, communication, and self-awareness –students created their videos to enhance and reinforce these values in which they believe.

“Students supported Antioch’s marketing initiatives through social media outlets and word-of-mouth efforts,” said Ann-Marie Charest, PhD, Teaching Faculty in the BA program. ”As you may know, video marketing is the rising star of marketing. According to Syndacast, 74 percent of all Internet traffic in 2017 will be video.”

Students graduating from all programs were eligible to submit speeches for review. A panel of faculty from all programs reviewed all without knowing the identity of the author for fairness. Speeches and were rated on writing quality, interest to a general audience, evidence of critical thinking, and consistency with the following theme:

Antioch University’s mission is to provide “… education to empower students with the knowledge and skills to lead meaningful lives and to advance social, economic, and environmental justice.” How has this mission been manifested in your experience at Antioch University Santa Barbara?

“Gina’s dedication to student learning and success is commendable,” said Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Barbara Lipinski. “Her enthusiasm and expertise have been an inspiration to numerous students, including over 100 undergraduates just this past year. We appreciate Gina’s skills as an educator and her demonstrated commitment to students and the mission of Antioch University.”

Dr. Lipinski said Gina receives outstanding student evaluations after every class. Here is a sampling of student comments:

“Gina is an excellent teacher, very engaging.”

“I learn more and more about myself in the world around me when I take her classes.”

“She is the best teacher I had in my life – very empowering, smart, and challenging.”

Gina has a long history at AUSB. She has taught here for eight years, and her success in that role likely comes from her days as a student at AUSB. Gina earned her BA in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Psychology and then went on to receive her degree from the Masters in Clinical Psychology program as well.

Originally from Delaware, Gina has lived in Santa Barbara since 1966. She has worked with such organizations as Girls Inc., the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, a 60-mile walk to bring awareness to the battle against breast cancer.

Previous winners of the Award for Excellence in Teaching at AUSB include Susan Lang, Frank Rust III, Dawn Murray, Juliet Rohde-Brown, and John Forhan.

The Bachelor of Arts students in Stanley Roden’s Social Justice Documentary Filmmaking class in Winter 2016 took on such weighty topics as homelessness, domestic violence, addiction, and more in their final films.

Their completed films were shown to the Antioch University Santa Barbara community on March 10 and most have been shared on the AUSB YouTube channel and embedded below.

Brock, renowned former television star of Wild Kingdom and humanitarian, founded Remote Area Medical, a relief organization that is featured in Jeff Reichert’s and Farihah Zaman’s exceptional documentary, “to bring free medical care to inaccessible regions of the Amazon rainforest.” Today the majority of their work is concentrated somewhere less secluded because the need is so great in the United States. The film makes clear why.

In April 2012, RAM volunteers, doctors, dentists, nurses, and general volunteers descended upon Bristol, Tennessee, in the heart of Appalachia to orchestrate an elaborate three-day clinic at the Bristol Motor Speedway, the city’s gargantuan NASCAR stadium. Thousands of Bristol’s ill and injured attended, eager to receive the urgent treatment they’d been unable to receive or afford.

Presented by the AUSB Bachelor of Arts program as part of the Environment in Focus series, the film will screen in the Community Hall and is free and open to the public.

The Environment in Focus series is part of Antioch in Conversation, an event series designed for public engagement and dialogue about environmental and social issues that affect us on a local, national, and global basis.

Antioch University Santa Barbara instructor Manuel Raya transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders, void of dialogue and descriptive text with a screening of Samsara on campus on Thursday, August 13 from 7-9 p.m.

Samsara, filmed over a period of almost five years and in 25 countries, is a Sanskrit word that means “the ever turning wheel of life” and is the point of departure for the filmmakers as they search for the elusive current of interconnection that runs through our lives.

Presented by the AUSB Bachelor of Arts program as part of the Environment in Focus series, the film will screen in the Community Hall and is free and open to the public.

Having graduated from UCSB, Mr. Raya yearned to learn more about the world and himself through philosophic contemplation. This drive led him to attain a Masters of Philosophy at San Francisco State University. Today, he is an adjunct faculty member here at Antioch University Santa Barbara, an instructor of Philosophy at Santa Barbara City College, a coach of the award-winning SBCC debate team, and director of the Philosophy club.

The Environment in Focus series is part of Antioch in Conversation, an event series designed for public engagement and dialogue about environmental and social issues that affect us on a local, national, and global basis.

Almost 150 Antioch University Santa Barbara (AUSB) students walked across the stage to collect their hard-earned diplomas at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort on Friday, June 19, and transitioned from student to alumni.

Dr. Nancy Leffert, AUSB President, and Victoria Riskin, chair of the AUSB Board of Trustees, gave welcoming remarks, and Lynn Houston, who received her BA from AUSB in 2011 and was honored with this year’s Distinguished Graduate Award, spoke on behalf of the alumni.

“It is my honor this year, as it is every year, to usher a new class of Antioch graduates into the world to continue the good work they have already begun on furthering their careers and professional lives,” Leffert said.

Lang has taught at AUSB for over 15 years in both the Graduate Education and Bachelor of Arts programs and routinely receives stellar student evaluations. Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Barbara Lipinski wrote that Susan’s “dedication to student learning and success in the areas of child development, psychology, and education is commendable. She brings innovative learning techniques that make the material in challenging courses accessible and comprehensible.”

Susan has taught at AUSB for over 15 years, in both the Graduate Education and Bachelor of Arts programs and routinely receives stellar student evaluations. Her award was announced by Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Barbara Lipinski this week. In the announcement, Barbara wrote that Susan’s “dedication to student learning and success in the areas of child development, psychology, and education is commendable. She brings innovative learning techniques that make the material in challenging courses accessible and comprehensible.”

In addition to a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from California State University Northridge, Susan also earned her Master’s in Clinical Psychology from AUSB. She also has taught courses at CSU Northridge and at Santa Barbara City College.

AUSB’s Award for Excellence in Teaching is an annual recognition of a faculty member by his/her faculty peers based on the following criteria:

This year’s commencement will take place on Friday, June 19, from 2:00-4:00pm at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort at 633 East Cabrillo Blvd. in Santa Barbara. For more information on the ceremony, please visit antiochsb.edu/commencement.

“Being selected as a commencement speaker is the crowning jewel in my academic journey,” Linda said. “I am honored by the privilege to represent the PsyD program and graduates this year.”

Graduates-to-be from all programs submitted speeches to a panel comprised of faculty from all programs. The committee reviewed each without knowing the authors’ identities on writing quality, interest to a general audience, evidence of critical thinking, and consistency with the following theme:

Linda Hoover

Antioch University’s mission is to provide “…education to empower students with the knowledge and skills to lead meaningful lives and to advance social, economic, and environmental justice.” How has this mission been manifested in your experience at Antioch University Santa Barbara?

“My Antioch experience taught me that the goal of my education was not to leave knowing the threats that exist today, but is to leave having the passion to fight them,” Miranda said.

“Antioch exposed me to a world of new ideas, diverse cultures, and endless possibilities,” Linda added. “I was given the opportunity to see the world through my neighbor’s eyes, and discover something about others as well as myself in the process.”

Congratulations to all upcoming 2015 Antioch University Santa Barbara graduates!

The reception, which is invite only, will recognize the students who have been awarded over $135,000 through this year’s institutional scholarships and grants, as well as the generous donors who made these financial awards possible.

“My experience at AUSB literally changed the course of my history,” Lynn said. “Antioch’s founder, Horace Mann wrote, ‘Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.’ His call to action, along with Antioch Santa Barbara’s undeniable commitment to social justice, inspired me to become my very best self and found A Different Point of View. I am grateful for my time and education at AUSB and extremely humbled to be the first recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Award.”

“Standing on Sacred Ground,” a series that focuses on how indigenous people around the world struggle to protect their sacred lands, is coming to Antioch University Santa Barbara on Thursday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m. as the next installment of the Environment In Focus film series. The film is free and open to the public.

The “Standing on Sacred Ground” series has four installments, and the one screening on campus will be “Pilgrims and Tourists,” which focuses on indigenous people of the Altai region in the Russian Republic and the Winnemem Wintu people in northern California, as they resist destruction of their sacred lands.

“This film reminds us that land and resources are sacred and we must unite to defend local and global habitats – stand together for ethical protection of land and cultures,” said Dawn Murray, chair of AUSB’s BA program. “There is hope when listening to indigenous communities, as human rights and ecological justice are inexorably linked.”

Alexis Slutzky, a mentor, educator, and wilderness guide for the Flowering Earth located in Santa Barbara, will present the film. She has chaired the Land Leadership Circle of The Ojai Foundation and designed and facilitated numerous nature-based retreats for adults and youth.

Each quarter, the Environmental Studies faculty in the BA program at AUSB sponsors a collaborative series on contemporary environmental issues affecting our world for our community and is part of Antioch in Conversation.

Antioch in Conversation is a series designed to foster public engagement about the issues and inspirations that shape our community, society, and world.

The students screened their films in the Social Justice Documentary Film Festival on campus on Thursday, March 12, as part of Stan Roden’s Documentary Filmmaking class.

Roden introduced the morning by telling the audience that the films being shown were the first films produced by most of the students. Praising how much they had accomplished in the 10 weeks of the class, Roden said the students all climbed several hills dealing with lighting, composition, and music, but also likened the storytelling aspect as more of a mountain the students all climbed successfully.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 14, in Los Olivos for Austin Bartoo, a BA student at Antioch University Santa Barbara who passed away on February 23.

Austin’s family has released the following obituary with details about the memorial service and highlights from Austin’s life and also set up a site for family and friends to submit memories and photos of Austin: www.caringbridge.org/visit/honoringaustinbartoo

Austin Troy Bartoo, a student at Antioch University Santa Barbara, wine club team lead at Firestone Vineyard, and lifelong resident of Santa Ynez, CA, died unexpectedly on February 23, 2015. Austin was in a severe car accident on Saturday, February 21. He was transported to the ICU at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, where he fought for his life and recovery. When Austin sadly passed away two days later, he was able to give others the gift of life through his organ donation.

Austin is survived by his parents, Roy and Theresa Bartoo, and his sisters, Alisha and Shannon, and grandparents, Bill and Paula Bartoo and Jeanne Kubes.

Austin was born in Santa Maria, CA, on April 3, 1989. In 2008, he graduated from Santa Ynez High School, where he played football and soccer. He went on to study first at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) and then at Antioch University Santa Barbara (AUSB). He was expected to graduate from AUSB with his Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Marketing and Communication in December of this year.

Austin was a devoted son, brother, grandson, nephew, uncle, co-worker, and friend. He enjoyed working out, running, and living an active lifestyle by becoming a certified personal fitness trainer. Austin loved spending time with his friends and family at the lake, and he was a fun, playful, and loving uncle to his niece, Kenleigh. He was a passionate wine enthusiast who loved working at Firestone vineyards. He will be deeply missed by his friends, family, and all who knew him.

An open memorial service for family and friends is scheduled on March 14 at 1pm at Crossroads Estate at Firestone Vineyards, 4871 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441 (rain or shine). In lieu of flowers, the family has set up an annual scholarship fund in Austin’s honor to benefit upcoming graduates of Santa Ynez Valley High School. In addition to the scholarship, a portion of all initial donations received will go to upgrading the Santa Ynez Valley High School Weight room. Please send all donations to P.O. Box 567, Santa Ynez, CA, 93460. Make checks payable to “Austin Bartoo Memorial Fund.”